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an up close photo of strawberry crunch cake.
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5 from 6 votes

Strawberry Crunch Cake

Strawberry Crunch Cake is layered vanilla cake with a sweet jam filling, strawberry cream cheese frosting, and a cookie crunch topping. Inspired by the Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars, this cake version is a sweet nostalgic treat!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: African-American
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 1154kcal
Author: Britney

Equipment

  • 2 9 inch cake pans
  • Stand Mixer

Ingredients

  • 3 cups All purpose flour
  • 2 tsps Baking powder
  • ½ tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 cup Butter room temperature
  • cups Sugar
  • 4 Large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Buttermilk

Filling

  • 1 cup Strawberry jam

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

  • 8 oz Cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 cup Butter room temperature
  • 7 cups Powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tsp Pink or Red Gel Food Coloring (optional)
  • ¼ cup Strawberry jam

Strawberry Crunch Topping

  • 8 tbsps Butter melted
  • 25 Golden oreos
  • 1 oz Freeze dried strawberries (about 1 ¼ cups)
  • 1 tbsp Strawberry Jell-O Mix
  • pinch Salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
  • Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Cream butter until smooth, then add sugar and continue to cream together for about 3-5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add eggs, one at a time, and then add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
  • Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Then pour in half of the buttermilk. Repeat.
  • Divide the batter in half and pour into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the cake pans for 10 minutes and then turn them onto a wire rack or plate to cool completely.
  • While the cakes are baking, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Add cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Cream together until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, beginning on low speed, increasing the speed to high for 10-15 seconds prior to adding the next cup. Then reduce the speed back to low and add the next cup of powdered sugar and repeat. This makes for a very fluffy icing.
  • Add red or pink gel food coloring (optional) and strawberry jam and mix until combined. Cover the icing with plastic wrap or a towel and place in the refrigerator until cakes have completely cooled. (If icing becomes hard, mix with the paddle attachment to loosen it up prior to adding to the cake)
  • Assemble the cake. Place one cake on a cake stand or plate. Add about a ½ cup of icing to a piping bag or a ziploc bag with about a 1 inch cut into the corner. Pipe a rim of icing around the perimeter of the cake. Add strawberry jam inside of the icing and smear across the cake. 
  • Place the second cake on top and add a layer of frosting onto the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then add remainder of the frosting to cake.
  • Make the strawberry crunch topping: add melted butter, golden oreos, strawberry jell-o powder, and freeze dried strawberries to a food processor and blend until combined but still chunky. Cover the cake with the crunch topping and garnish with fresh strawberries.

Notes

Tips
  • Measure your flour correctly! Flour scooped right out of the bag can typically be more because the flour is compressed. Fluff up the flour and spoon it into the measuring cup or use a kitchen scale to measure the flour for a more accurate measurement.
  •  
  • Do not overmix the cake batter. Instead, stop as soon as the batter is moist and you don't see streaks of the dry ingredients. Overmixing cake batter results in extra gluten development which leaves you with a chewy cake. We want to keep it soft and fluffy!
  • Make sure the cakes are completely cooled before adding the filling or frosting.
  • Don't have a food processor? Crush the strawberry crunch topping in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin.
  • Don't crumble the strawberry crunchies too much. We want the texture to be crunchy, not like dust.
  • Store leftover cake in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within 2-3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 1154kcal | Carbohydrates: 166g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 731mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 124g | Vitamin A: 1545IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 3mg